No survivors from Cuban plane crash

Euronews

The authorities in Cuba now say no one has survived a plane crash in the centre of the Caribbean island.

There were 68 passengers and crew on board the plane, which belonged to a state-owned regional airline.

Rescuers had to use a bulldozer to plow through the thick undergrowth surrounding the fuselage.

The aircraft came down near the gown of Guasimal in Sancti Spiritus province around 338 kilometres southeast of Havana.

“The plane came down in the centre of Cuba, near the regional capital.” said journalist Carmen Rodriguez.“There is a cyclone in the West and a cold front in the east but this was not a problem, the weather is fine where the crash happened. It was late at night and people in the village nearby said they saw the plane pitching, it suddenly dived and went low before crashing and bursting into flames.”

A list of the passengers has been published.

28 foreign nationals are among those lost. They are thought to hail from Europe and South America and to have been on holiday.